=== Mobile Game Review - Pocket Trains - Business Simulation - 6.5/10 ===

I've always had a strange like for trains; I don't mean something weird where I have pictures of trains up on my walls everywhere and I can't think about anything else other than trains... but I would gladly live in the time when trains were the big new thing. So here's Pocket Trains, a game where you start as a train company in Europe trying to get big enough to expand all over the world.

You start with three basic trains in the middle of Europe. The gameplay is simple enough: pick a train, load it up with materials or products at one station which gives you destinations for the items, and send the train on its way to the other cities on its route. Only one train can own each section of track between each city, so you have to plan your routes to allow other trains to connect up and transfer train carts if necessary. If we're just talking about money, it's not so big of a deal, but things get a little more complicated when there's secondary resources in question.

Everybody loves having money to work with, but that only goes so far when you need Bux to open crates and get better trains. Bux can be earned in a couple different ways: Sometimes there are ads available which can be watched for a couple Bux, but that tends to be a little hit or miss. If you select a train in motion, you'll get a nice view of it going along the track and sometimes coins and Bux and even crates fly past; if you click on the flying item you'll get it. The most reliable method to getting Bux and crates would be to transport them to a destination via train which can mean you're sending it through multiple different trains just to get the cart a few cities over.

There's an energy mechanic to this game where each train has its own supply of fuel which regenerates while sitting idle at a train station which usually means the train has arrived at its destination and you're probably not currently playing because you have a live to live. This is great for getting people to stop playing... I would know... if not for this mechanic, I'd absolutely keep playing all the time. The tough part about this is that some trains have a larger supply of fuel than others and some sections of track are quite long. So long that you may only be able to send a basic train across this track once. As you progress further into the game, you acquire more train pieces from the crates which are opened by spending Bux. The train pieces are completely rancon (though you may have a better chance of getting better train parts as you level up). Better trains travel faster, have more fuel, and are able to carry more carts at one time.

So the gameplay of Pocket Trains is fun and easy, but it does get repetitive after a while and once you start reaching points where you have to spend a lot of money to continue, the game really starts to slow down quite a bit. I haven't yet decided for sure whether I like this slowdown or not because I haven't managed to expand into all the different continents yet... but at this point, it's not my favourite part of the game.

Sound design isn't the largest factor in mobile games; here we're pretty much asking whether or not there's sound, if that sound fits the game, and whether we like listening to it. Yes, there are train sounds, and yes, there are sounds when you press buttons and do things that sound nice and pleasing. What I don't like is the music; it gets really repetitive and can be a bit overpowering. It also sounds a little bit western to me, which FITS... but isn't great to listen to on repeat in my opinion.

I'm going to start breaking down my scores a little more from this review onwards to give more clairity to my thoughts and to better explain why I'm giving the scores that I'm giving. Now on to the scores!

Gameplay = 7/10
+ Easy to learn
+ Great for putting a little bit of time into every hour
- Progression can be really slow if you don't have time to check on your game every hour

Sound = 5/10
Music is a highly important component of a great game. Without good music, a great game can fall flat.
+ Train and station sounds are nice to listen to
- Music is repetitive and can be overpowering if not turned off

Replayability = 7/10This isn't the kind of game you'd be finishing and then starting over again, so this is really a score of whether or not you'd pick the game back up after playing it for a day.
+ Addictive if you have time to put into the game
+ Easy to lose track of time with more to do as you get more trains
- Progression is too slow if you don't have time to put into the game

Overall Score = 6.5/10Pocket Trains is a solid game which I would happily play given enough time to progress through it. The unfortunate thing is that the same track of music over and over and over gets really annoying really quickly. As slow as the game can be at some points, it is rewarding once you finally break past that money barrier and move into new lands. I would recommend this game and say that if you don't mind the lack of music, it'll feel much better than the score makes it look.

~ Kyle Welykholowa


Back to Game Reviews

=== Snuggly Dogs ===

     Anybody who knows me well would know that I absolutely love dogs; especially my own snuggly dogs. I know they love each other care for one another because they whine when they're separated and they happily go everywhere together. They wrestle in the house and they will spend hours outside together. Back when we only had Furgle, he was a bit of a terror with way too much energy and always destroying things. Then we got Autumn to give him some company (which worked out amazing) and started worrying about her destroying things because of HER being bored. She still chews on things every once in a while, but most of the time they run around so much that they don't have any energy left at the end of the day.

     I recently saw this happening in the kitchen which absolutely melted my heart. As much as I know they love each other I almost never see them laying together so this was a treat for me (I just HAD to take a picture of this right away.)

     Now for a little story about them. I took them for a car ride this evening as I usually do when getting fast food at night. I started out by taking Furgle with me for these trips, but recently I started taking Autumn as well. Furgle is amazing in the car; he stands in my lap and puts his head out the window and loves every moment of the ride. Autumn.... I'm not so sure about her. She awkwardly stands with part of her in the cup holders and not feeling comfortable enough to sit in the seat. She pushes herself into either the back of the chair, or into me if she's close enough to me. The way she rides is like she's super terrified of being in the car, but she doesn't want to go anywhere that would take her away from me in the slightest. I honestly can't wait to bring her up to Lake Diefenbaker if we get the chance to do so this Summer.

~ Kyle Welykholowa

=== Reactor - Mobile Game Review, Idle City Builder - 6/10 ===

     Welcome everybody to my review of Reactor, what I would call an idle city builder. I have quite a bit of experience with idle building games as I have a phone and a lot of spare time to kill at times. I mean, sometimes I just want to open a game, upgrade some things and close the game. Yay, I feel like I'm being productive and progressing through the game because I'm now getting more than I was getting before!

     Unfortunately with this game, it's just not the best example of this style of game in my opinion. There are some games where you have to press a single button to progress faster than if you were to leave the game to itself. This game has a lot of buttons to press... at first. When you start playing Reactor, you have to build windmills which stay alive for a period of time until they run out and then you have to click them again to bring them back to life. During this lifespan they create power which you must then press another button to sell this power for money. This is all quite a convoluted process which isn't really all that much fun as the game starts.

     As usual there are a lot of things to buy which progressively make more and more money, but as with most games of this type, they're locked at first until you reach some sort of goal or pay an unlock fee or something of that nature. Sooo...

     Then you learn about research. This is another type of building which you can create which will make research points every second. This research can be put towards many different things including the ability to sell this power automatically. Alright, so now we can make buildings which automatically sell some power for money, but they take up a lot of space, and none of this is feeling fun to me yet. Research now leads into other types of power which can be created as well, but then things start getting really confusing and suddenly you realize you don't have any space left and you have to wait quite a bit of time to remove objects in the landscape which are in the way.

     The game seems little complicated for an idle game to me compared to the other options out there. I'm sure there are people who would enjoy this type of thing, but this isn't really what I'm looking for when I'm looking for a mobile game. I just find the way this game tries to balance certain buildings with the space that you have a little frustrating; especially when it makes me wait for 4 sets of 60 minutes every time I want to remove a mountain or a tree in the game.

     This isn't an awful game; I would play more of this game if I didn't already have better and more fun games to play. I'm going to have to give this game a 6/10 because doesn't catch my attention, but it's not bad.

~ Kyle Welykholowa

=== Semester 3 Begins! ===

     Hard to believe the finals of last semester just happened a week ago and now here I am completing my first couple assignments today. I definitely wasn't expecting the final semester to begin so quickly but here we are starting the last leg of the journey (for the most part).

     It's been a tough road so far getting through all the classes. These days I don't have much energy to work with where I'm not physically exhausted. Some days I'm quite mentally exhausted as well, but for the most part I'm wanting to do so much and get so much done but I'm just not able to because my body wants to sleep. I know I'll be able to get through it all in the end, but right now it feels SO bad.

     Let's use tomorrow as an example. Tomorrow I want to work on my blog by making a post and promoting it. I also want to upload a video or two on my YouTube channel. I have hopes of wanting to play with the dog, steam clean the carpets, do a bit of writing, watch a show, work on school work, spend time with Carley, bake banana bread, go for a hike, play DDR, read a book, play a game on a console that I haven't played before, and probably more. There's so much I would love to do! Unfortunately I just don't really have the energy to do all of that in one day.

     It isn't all bad though. I'm sure I make it sound all awful, but seriously I actually think we're doing quite well at the moment. I'm super proud of myself for having made about $0.40 so far through my blog (which is a huge accomplishment for me!). And I'm still managing to find some time to do things other than be a vegetable or only work so much that I have no personality. Just give me a week or so from now and I think things might be a little better. Next coming month we're actually looking to be doing much better than we have been previously and oh boy I can't wait to tell you all about it!

~ Kyle Welykholowa

I just feel like writing

     I've actually been in quite a creative mood lately. Not creative so much that I've wanted to make arts and crafts... only crafting words into coherent sentences and short-stories. But I really like writing. I mean, that's why I update this blog whenever I feel like it... so that I can share my words with everybody else.

     I'm still fighting with myself most days just to get out of bed. I still haven't gotten through the vast majority of projects I have to do for school, but as long as I can try just a little bit every day, that's all that matters. And I can only hope that the people who care are able to see what I've done; even if it hasn't been a lot.

     Today I managed to get myself out of the house to go for a little bit of groceries. So that's my accomplishment for today. It's not much, but at least I can say that I had the energy and will to get myself out of the house and take care of myself.

     I really wish I had more to tell you guys about today, but that's basically it. Perhaps I'll put up some of my stories on my blog some of these days.

~ Kyle

Depression Sucks

     If you struggle with depression as I do, then you know how crappy it can be. If you know someone who struggles with depression, then you may have some understanding of what it's like. I'm not sure how I would describe it... perhaps like there's a blanket over me and I can't get it off. Everything feels difficult.

     Some days are alright, and others I can barely get out of bed. I know I've lost weight recently from not eating enough food - though I don't know how much. Sometimes it's triggered by certain events, other times I have absolutely no idea what causes it. That's the mystery of depression.

     So it's a difficult thing to understand. People who have no experience with depression may have trouble knowing what to do, or how to handle someone with such a problem. Supporting a depressed person isn't as difficult as it sounds though. I recently read an article that explained it in a really good way. If someone told you they had an energy-sucking flu that made it really difficult to get out of bed, you would probably be like "oh man, that energy-sucking flu really sucks." And that's basically what it's like. It's not something weird and out there. It's like catching an energy-sucking flu for a while.

     As someone who has to deal with this sort of thing, I can tell you the best thing you can do for someone in this position is to just remain calm, and be there for them. You don't have to find solutions for them. Searching for a solution to depression while depressed is kinda like going to the store for a fire extinguisher while your house is on fire. Not exactly the best time. Seriously, just be there for them. One of the worst parts of being depressed is feeling like you're in the way. Feeling like you don't want to bring everyone else down with you. Sometimes all they need is someone to talk to. Someone willing to ride out the storm with them.

     The days get better. Some days are worse, some days are better. But it does pass in time... just like an energy-sucking flu.

To Sleep Or Not To Sleep

I find myself thinking more and more these days that I don't have enough time. I can find more time in the day if I don't sleep.... Unfortunately, if I go that route, I'm usually exhausted throughout the day. I suppose I could always quit my job... but it's the only thing I have to pay my bills right now unless I ask my parents for help, but I'd really rather not do that.

So I found two things that have helped me a ton so far. 5-hour energy shots, and wake me up caffeine pills. Oh wow. Now I'm not a coffee guy. I can't stand the taste of it. I don't even like the smell. But I now realize how awesome caffeine is. I feel so awake and productive! If you're finding yourself short on energy, I definitely recommend these. The energy shots are a little on the expensive side, but they do work wonders. Same with the pills, energy like you wouldn't believe. Also, you have the option of how much caffeine you feel you need if you take the pills.

I'd would definitely recommend these options to anybody looking for an energy solution.